Our first meeting with Chad was on Wednesday, March 12, a week before his 36th birthday. He was squeezing us in between a fishing trip and a nap 🙂 – actually, his morning of fishing ended up being postponed due to the weather, so we were privileged to speak with a well rested Chad, or “Hawk” as he is affectionately known by his friends.
We talked about his love for the outdoors – fishing, throwing a baseball, and cheering his son (Carter, 7) on at Little League, these are all on the top of his list of things to do. When inside, you would probably find him cuddling with his daughter; they share the same birthday, she (Reese) was about to turn 3. He beamed when he spoke about is son’s recent baptism – what a proud moment that was for Chad to witness. Strong in his faith, Chad wants his children to follow the Lord. Many of the items that they will receive will be inscribed with favorite Bible verses. For example, each child will receive a turkey platter (decorated with their hand prints and Chad’s) so that they can remember the delicious turkeys Chad makes at the holidays – on the platter will be an inscription from Lamentations 3:21-26, “The Lord is my portion”. Another part of those verses (“Therefore I Have Hope”) will find its way onto the backs of the thumb print charms.
In his career, Chad worked with metal; a piece of scrap metal, from one of the jobs he did, has been salvaged to create keepsakes. A leather bracelet for Carter, with a piece of scrap copper engraved with his dad’s nickname (the leather will be from one of Chad’s baseball gloves) and a bracelet made from the flowers you can see in the picture above will be given to Reese (with a charm displaying the photo). Friends and family and being asked to write letters to the Carter and Reese about their Dad, so they can get to know him through the eyes of others. Special surprise gifts for the future including for the children’s wedding days, will be created from some of Chad’s special items.
Please pray for the Hawkins family; on the morning of Chad’s 36th birthday, he was welcomed into heaven.
